What happened in March 1986?
The top front-page story of each day in March 1986, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Mar 1🕊️ Olof Palme Assassinated – Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot dead on a Stockholm street after leaving a movie theater with his wife.
- Mar 2🕊️ Democracy in Philippines – Filipino citizens peacefully ousted President Ferdinand Marcos after 18 days of protests, marking a historic shift towards democracy.
- Mar 3🚀 Astronauts' Stamp Proposal – Members of Congress push for a commemorative stamp honoring the seven astronauts who died in the Challenger explosion.
- Mar 4☄️ Spacecraft Converge Comet – Scientists await a historic moment as spacecraft converge for the first detailed look at a famous comet, revealing it like never before.
- Mar 5🔬 Soviet Comet Data – A Soviet spacecraft sent back data from Halley's comet, exciting international scientists at the Institute for Space Research.
- Mar 6🌍 Zambian Debt Revised – The Paris Club agreed to reschedule Zambia's $2.8 billion debt payments over 10 years, aiding its economic recovery.
- Mar 7☄️ Comet Mission Success – A Soviet spacecraft successfully passed through Halley's comet, returning the first images of its icy core, revealing insights into the Solar System's formation.
- Mar 8🌍 South Africa Ends Emergency – South Africa rescinded its state-of-emergency decree and released the last 327 detainees from a total of nearly 8,000 held since July.
- Mar 9🚀 Japan's Comet Probe – Japan's Suisei space probe successfully captured images of Halley's comet, marking a significant achievement in its space exploration efforts.
- Mar 10🚀 Challenger Remains Found – Navy divers discovered the crew compartment of the space shuttle Challenger, containing the remains of the astronauts who perished in the explosion.
- Mar 11🌍 Polish Debt Agreement – Poland has reached an agreement to reschedule over $1.6 billion of its debt to Western governments, easing its financial burden.
- Mar 12🚀 Challenger Recovery Efforts – NASA resumes efforts to recover the crew compartment of the Challenger shuttle for forensic analysis of the astronauts' remains.
- Mar 13🚀 Craft Nears Comet – A half-ton spacecraft is now in position to speed past Halley's comet in humanity's closest encounter with the celestial body.
- Mar 14🚀 European Spacecraft Grazes Comet – The European spacecraft Giotto successfully approached Halley's comet, marking a significant achievement in space exploration.
- Mar 15🌍 Hotel Collapse Traps 300 – A six-story hotel in Singapore collapsed, trapping around 300 people in the rubble, prompting rescue efforts.
- Mar 16🏗️ Hotel Collapse Tragedy – A six-story hotel collapsed in Singapore, trapping about 100 people under rubble. Rescue efforts confirmed four deaths and nine injuries.
- Mar 17⚖️ Duke's Tax Proposal – Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis prepared to present a new tax plan to resolve governmental financial issues.
- Mar 18🌍 30 Scientists Rescued – An Australian ship has rescued 30 scientists stranded in Antarctica, reaching them just before winter ice advanced.
- Mar 19🏛️ Singapore Woman Rescued – A woman was rescued after surviving three days under rubble from a collapsed hotel, protected by a table.
- Mar 20🏛️ Museum of Dinesen's Home – Kenya has converted the Nairobi house of author Karen Blixen, known as Isak Dinesen, into a museum celebrating her life.
- Mar 21🛰️ Challenger Search Efforts – NASA and the Navy add ships and a submersible to search for wreckage of the space shuttle Challenger.
- Mar 22🚀 Challenger Disaster Cause – NASA officials confirm a joint failure on a solid-fuel booster rocket caused the Challenger explosion, killing seven crew members.
- Mar 23📸 NASA Booster Failure – NASA confirms the Challenger disaster resulted from a booster seam failure, ending speculation on the cause of the tragic explosion.
- Mar 24🌨️ Snowstorm Hits Tokyo – A spring snowstorm in Tokyo caused six deaths, 294 injuries, and disrupted transportation with 20 inches of snow.
- Mar 25🌌 Manned Moon Settlements Proposed – A Presidential panel suggests a $700 billion space program for manned moon settlements in 30 years, envisioning 1 million space travelers daily.
- Mar 26🗽 Statue of Liberty Coin Drive – A $17 million campaign to sell commemorative coins for the Statue of Liberty's centennial is launched by Grey Advertising.
- Mar 27🛰️ Asteroids Named for Crew – Seven asteroids were named for the astronauts who died in the space shuttle Challenger explosion.
- Mar 28🌋 Volcano Erupts – Augustine volcano erupted for the first time in 10 years, spewing ash and smoke, disrupting flights to Anchorage.
- Mar 29🌋 Volcano Erupts in Alaska – Augustine Volcano erupts, disrupting life in Kenai Peninsula with closed businesses and halted air travel due to ash.
- Mar 30🌋 Volcano Erupts Again – The Augustine volcano erupted, sending ash clouds that damaged two planes but they landed safely at Anchorage.
- Mar 31📈 Global Stock Markets Surge – World stock markets experienced significant gains in the first quarter of 1986, driven by falling interest rates and declining oil prices.
Happy Birthday! 1986 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1986 in real headlines. See the 1986 book →
Born in March? Pick the day
Every birthday in March has its own On This Day in Headlines book: